When money magazine recently ranked the top 100 small cities in which to live, they considered employment opportunities, schools, public safety and other quality of life factors. According to an article that I have just read in the DailyPress.com entitled, “Chesapeake, Suffolk ranked among top places to live in U.S.”, Chesapeake and Suffolk, along with Centerville and Alexandria, ranked among the top 100 best small cities in which to live.

When compared to the rest of the nation, both Chesapeake and Suffolk offer great job opportunities and the unemployment rate in both cities is well below the national average.

I believe there are other factors that go into making a particular city a great place to live. There are amenities such as entertainment venues, restaurants, recreational opportunities, day care centers, medical clinics, transportation and retail centers that I imagine would also have been considered by the folks at Money magazine when they created this ranking. Regardless of age, the Hampton Roads area offers just about everything that one might need or desire. Those of us who live in or near Chesapeake or Suffolk know that we have all of these great amenities, not to mention the natural beauty of Virginia’s landscape or our wonderful beaches.

I was glad to see two cities in Hampton Roads make this ranking, especially during trying economic times. Hopefully this is an indicator that the worst is behind us and that we will be among the first areas of the U.S. to recover.

Please click the following link to read this article in its entirety at DailyPress.com.